Well-drilling machine



March 22,1927.

G. L. LANE ET AL WELL DRILLING MACHINE Filed Sept. 14 1 2 Sheets-Sheet 1llhwi March 22, 1927. 1,621,636

' G. L. LANE ET AL WELL DRILLING MACHINE Filed Sept. 14- 1 2Sheets-Sheet 2 mmmn HIH HHH IIII 1 W attained Patented Mar. 22, 1927.

UNITED STATES PATENT- i oFFIcE.

GEORGE L. LANE AND WILLIAM E. SYKES, OF MARIETTA, OHIO.

WELL-DRILLING- MACHINE.

Application filed September 14, 1921. Serial No. 500,486.

Our invention relates to an improvement in drilling machines, pertainingparticularly to machines for drilling wells, such as oil, gas and waterwells.

The ordinary drilling machine used at the present time is a heavy,expensive implement which is not readily portable, is subject to a greatdeal of vibration, owing to the location of an engine, Samson-post andmast on the main frame of the machine, which vibration has the effect ofwearing out the parts.

It is an object of our invention to provide a drilling machine of lightweight, of

relatively few parts, mounted on a frame which is readily portable, andis adapted to be driven by a farm tractor which can also beused'to-transport the machine.

In carrying out our invention, we provide a frame mounted on rolls orwheels so that it can be readily moved, a removable jack-shaft having areversing pulley for receiving rotary motion from a tractor and mountedon the frame, a band-wheel, a main shaft driven by the reversing pulleyof the jack-shaft, a cable spool mounted on the main shaft with meansfor controlling its motion relative to the main shaft, and meansactuated by the band-wheel for driving supplemental shafts and reels.

WVe further provide, as a detached ele- -ment of the drilling-machine, amain mud sill upon which a Samson post and mast are mounted, whereby theweight of both is carried by the sill and not by the frame.

The invention further comprises certain details and construction ofparts which will become more apparent as the description proceeds, andwill be pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the drillingmachine;

Fig. 2 is a top plan of the same;

Fig. 3 is a top plan partially in section of the main shaft, and Fig. 4is a vertical section through the machine on line 4- 1 of Fig. 1.

The frame comprised of two longitudinally extending beams 1 and suitablecrosspieces 2 is mounted on wheels or rollers 3, upon which the framemay be moved to a desired position, where it is held by means such asblocks 4.

At the end remote from the drilling oporation, a jack-shaft 5 is mountedin bearings and lowering the tools in the well.

6 removably mounted on the frame, and carrles reversing gear-pulley 7.The jack-shaft 'is operated by a belt 8 passing over a pulley Wepreferably mount a pulley 12 on the jack-shaft for driving a blower 13of a forge (not shown) or for driving a pump or other auxiliaryimplement.

At the other end of the frame, we provide the main shaft 14 driven bybandwheel 15 mounted thereon, and which is driven by belt 16 passingover the reversing pulley 7.

Thecable spool 17 carrying brakedrum 18 and clutch 19 is mounted on themain shaft and carries a reel of cable for raising The construction issuch that, when desired, the

clutch is engaged, a reel or spool is rotated by the main shaft, and thetools are drawn up. When they are to be lowered again, after cleaningout, the brake on the brake drum and the clutch are both released, andthe cable runs into the well regardless of the speed or direction ofrotation of the main shaft. The main shaftterminates in a crank-arm 14and between the arm and longitudinally extending beams of the frame aspur-gear 20 is mounted on the shaft. This meshes with a gear 20 of ashaft 21, which can be used for raising and lowering the well-casing bymeans of a cable (not shown).

At a point between the jack-shaft and the main shaft. a sand reel spool22 is rotatably mounted. This spool is carried by a shaft 23, upon oneend of which a friction roller 24 is provided. By means of lever 25 andlink 26 the roller be forced against band-wheel 15 for rotating the sandreel, and may also be moved away from the bandwheel and against afriction-block 27 for stopping this movement. As is well-known, the sandreel is used to operate a sand bailer 32 is suspended with an underslungeffect.

The walking-beam 32 performs the function of raising and lowering thetools in the drilling operation, and is actuated by pitman 33 mounted onthe crank-arm 14. The Samson-post in the ordinary type ofdrillingmachine is mounted directly on the main frame which not onlyincreases the wear and tear owing to vibration, but also is of 7 greatweight and interferes materially with the movability of. the machine.

, By mounting the mast and Samson post on the mud-sill 28, we achievetwo important results, namelv that the mast is perpendicular in alongitudinal plane, and does not incline toward one side of the machinemore than another. As at present constructed, it is customary to inclinethe mast over which the rope from the cable spool passes so that the endof the mast will be directly over the end of the walking-beam, so as toget a direct vertical movement of the cable and tools. As ordinarilyconstructed, the mast must incline to achieve that result, as thewalking-beam is normally mounted at one side of the drilling machine,and substantially parallel therewith. We have discovered that bymounting the Samson post and the mast both on the mud-sill, we can cause7 the walking-beam to extend at an angle as indicated in Fig. 2, whichwill bring the end of the walking-beam under the end of the mast, asindicated. This is an important feature of our invention. By mountingthe Samson-post and mast on a mud-sill detached from the main frame, weare enabled to use a much lighter frame than is ordinarily necessary.The effect of the underslinging of the walking-beam on the Samson-postis to decrease the radius over the drilling well at the end of thewalking-beam so that the tools are at all times directly over'thedrilling-well, which eliminates the whip of the drilling-cable againstthe wall of the well and the casing therein, which whipping not onlywears out the cable but also knocks down cavings on the top of thetools.

Located at the forward end of the machine, and beneath the longitudinalside members 1, 1, are the metal I-beams 33, from the outer ends ofwhich depend the tie-b0lts 34: which engage a substantially V-shapedclamping member 35 bolted by means of bolts 36 to the mud-sill 28. Inthat the entire weight of the tool, mast, and walking-beam is upon themud-sill 28, rather than on the outer end of the driving mechanism ofthe well-digger, it is necessary to anchor the outer end of the drivingmechanism against possible upward movement due to the heavy tools thatare used. and the lifting exertion imparted to the driving mechanism asthe walking-beam is operated. As is obvious from Fig. 1, after theSamsonpost and mast on the mud-sills are properly located, the drivingmechanism is rolled up on its rollers or sills 3, and fastened to themud-sill as described, the same being readily detachable when desirableto move to a new location.

We claim:

1. In a drilling machine, the combination with a frame carryingshafting, of an independent normally detached mud-sill, a Samson-postmounted on said mudesill, a walking-beam mounted on said post, and meansconnecting the walking-beam with the shafting to transmit areciprocating motion thereto. 7

2. In a well drilling machine, the combination with a frame carryingshafting, rollers on the frame for moving the frame, a normally detachedmud-sill, a Samsonpost and mast mounted on said mud-sill, and means forconnecting the mud-sill to the main frame with a rigid connection duringthe drilling operation.

3. In a drilling-machine, the combination with a main frame, a mainshaft mounted in said frame, a band wheel, and a crankarm on said shaft,an independent mud-sill normally detached from said frame, a Samson-postand a mast mounted on the mudsill, said mast perpendicular to themud-sill in one plane, a walking-beam pivotally mounted on the Samsonpost and at an incline to the longitudinal extent of the main frame,whereby one end of the walkingbeam is over said crank-arm, and the otherend is under the end of said mast.

4:. As a portable unit of a well drilling apparatus adapted forassociation with a normally detached mud-sill upon which a mast andSamson post are mounted, and a walking-beam on the Samson post, awheeled frame, shafting on the frame, and means actuated by the shaftingfor transmitting reciprocatory motion to the walking beam.

5. In a drilling apparatus, the combination with an independent mudsill, a mast extending vertically thereupon in one plane but inclined inanother plane from the perpendicular, a Samson post mounted on the mudsill, a walking-beam journaled in the Samson post with one end under theend of the mast, of a portable wheeled frame, shafting mounted in theframe, a crank-arm on the shafting, said wheeled frame adapted to be sopositioned with relation to the mudsill that the crank-arm issubstantially in line with an end of said walking-beam, means foranchoring the frame to the mudsill, and a pitma-n connecting thewalkingbeam and the crank-arm.

6. In a drilling machine the combination with a frame, of an independentand normally detached mud sill, a Samson post mounted on the mud sill, awalking beam carried by the Samson post, means for operating the walkingbeam, and means for detachably connecting the independent mud sill withthe frame when the machine is in operation.

In testimony whereof we hereunto aiiix our signatures.

GEORGE L. LANE. WILLIAM E. SYKES.

